Fluid blender



Nov. l5, 1966 D. C. LUCKHAM FLUID BLENDER Filed March 1, 1965 'lill Flu.

3,285,583 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 3,285,583 FLUID BLENDER Denis C. Luckham,` London, England, assignor to Luckham Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Mar. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 436,165

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 6, 1964,

7 Claims. (Cl. 259-55) This invention relates to a fluid blender, primarily although not exclusively, for use in lagitating the contents of bottles or other containers.

There are many instances, particularly in the medical field where it is desirable to prevent -any sediment forming from a liquid contained in a bottle, one example of this being blood. Before use, blood has to be mixed carefully and well such that no sediment settles out `and 11o frothing occurs during the agitation.

A further example of such use may be in blending powders land developing photographic films.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fluid blender which is capable of preventing sediment or other matter settling from a fluid contained in a bottle, and to obtain a quick even mix or blend of the fluid.

In order to carry this out the fluid blender is adapted to simultaneously roll the bottle about its longitudinal axis, and to rock it about a lateral axis. While varying speeds may be used as desired a speed particularly suitable for use with blood bottles has been devised in order to prevent the blood frothing during this agitation. This speed may be of the order of 46 revolutions per minute on the rollers and 23 rocking cycles per minute.

The fluid blender may comprise a rocking table having a number of driven rollers interspersed alternately with a number of skid or idling rollers of the same diameter. It has been found convenient that both the driven rollers and the skid rollers should have a diameter of 13716 since some of the standard bottles used for containing blood samples are of the same diameter. By using rollers of this diameter it is possible to roll bottles from 1% diameter to 1%5" diameter. If larger bottles are to be rolled one of the skid rollers may be removed to allow the bottle to contact two driven rollers, and thus all the skid rollers are removable for this purpose and also for cleaning. With one skid roller removed bottles up to 41/2" diameter may be agitated by the device. The driven rollers may, if desired, be covered with a thin sheet of rubber or other friction surface, while the skid rollers may be of plastic or suitable non-friction material.

According to the invention there is provided a fluid blender comprising at least one roller adapted to be rotated about its longitudinal axis, means for retaining a cylindrical container, e.g. a bottle, in frictional contact with said roller, and further means for simultaneously rocking said roller about its lateral axis.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the fluid blender,

FIGURE 2 is a side View, and

FIGURE 3 is an end view with the cover removed.

Referring to the drawings generally the fluid blender comprises a table 1 having four friction surfaced driven rollers 2 and five removable supports in the form of skid or idling rollers 3. The driven rollers 2 are driven in pairs by Ia chain drive over sprockets 14 mounted on the end of each driven roller. Each pair is connected together through two `additional sprockets 15 mounted on a shaft of one of the driven rollers of each pair.

The table is mounted on bearings 4 supported in uprights of a static base 5, allowing the table to be rocked via a mechanical drive through approximately 15 each side of horizontal.

The unit is powered by an electric motor 7 fixedly mounted to the table 1. The torque is transmittedthrough a standard gearbox 8 having an output shaft 8a 'at right angles to the shaft of the electric motor 7. The output shaft 8a from the gearbox 8 is keyed eccentrically within a ball race 12 enclosed within an outer shell 11. The shell 11 is constrained against vertical movement by bearers or bearing members 9, 10 but allowed limited horizontal movement along the said members. These bearing members 9, 10 lare supported by a plate (not shown) fixed to the static base 5.

In this way rotation of the gearbox output shaft causes rotation of the ball race 12 within the shell 11. As the shell 11 is constrained against vertical movement and the gearbox output shaft 18 is constrained against horizontal movement, the horizontal component movement is absorbed by `allowing the shell 11 to rock back and forth along the bearing members 9, 10. Similarly the vertical movement component is absorbed by an up and down rocking motion of the gearbox output shaft, and since this is fixedly coupled to the motor and table, rocking motion is imparte-d to the latter.

The rotation of the driven rollers is effected by a rolling shaft 13 which is Valso eccentrically mounted on the ball race 12 on the opposite side of, but concentric with, the gearbox output shaft 18. Thus, the rolling shaft 13 is also rocked and the rolling motion is transmitted through the ball race 12 via the rolling shaft 13 to the sprocket 17 from which a chain 18 drives the sprockets 15, 14 in succession.

The table and associated mechanism may also be provided with suitable metal covers to prevent the ingress of dirt or foreign matter. Furthermore while particular examples of dimensions and speeds have been given, these are by way of example only and may be varied to suit particular circumstances.

I claim:

1. A fluid blender for use with a cylindrical container holding fluid to be blended comprising a stationary base, a table pivotally mounted on said base, a plurality of horizontally disposed and mutually parallel rollers mounted on said table for supporting said container on its side, the pivot axis of said table being laterally disposed with respect to the longitudinal axes of said rollers, continuous drive means for rotating at least one of said rollers to continuously rotate said container, and means for rocking said table about said pivot axis, whereby said container is rocked in a vertical plane to effect blending of said fluid While said container remains parallel to said longitudinal axes of said rollers.

2. A fluid blender according to claim 1 wherein said pivotal axis extends at a right angle to said rollers.

3. A fluid blender according to claim 1 in which the alternate rollers of said plurality are driven with the remainder being freely rotatable idling rollers.

4. A fluid blender according to claim 1 in which the means for rocking the table comprises an electric motor rigidly connected to said table, an output shaft rotated by said motor, a ball bearing eccentrically mounted on a portion of said shaft remote from said motor, stationary means mounted on said base for receiving the outer shell of said bearing to restrain said shell against vertical movement.

5. A fluid blender according to claim 4 in which said stationary means comprises two fixed parallel bearers arranged above and below said shell. v

6. A fluid blender according to claim 5 in which said bearers are horizontal whereby said shell is capable of horizontal movement between said bearers.

7. A fluid blender according to claim 6 wherein said 3 drive means comprises a drive shaft mounted by said ball 2,206,669 bearing in concentric relationship with said output shaft, 2,597,291 said dn've shaft being ydrivingly connected to said output shaft for rotating said alternate rollers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,414,197 4/ 1922 Maddox 259-72 4 7/ 1940 Kowalski 259-72 5/1952 Clegg 259-89 FOREIGNl PATENTS 7/ 1934 Great Britain.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Prinwiy` Examiner.

R. W. JENKINS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FLUID BLENDER FOR USE WITH A CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER HOLDING FLUID TO BE BLENDED COMPRISING A STATIONARY BASE, A TABLE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE, A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED AND MUTUALLY PARALLEL ROLLERS MOUNTED ON SAID TABLE FOR SUPPORTING SAID CONTAINER ON ITS SIDE, THE PIVOT AXIS OF SAID TABLE BEING LATERALLY DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID ROLLERS, CONTINUOUS DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROLLERS TO CONTINUOUSLY ROTATE SAID CONTAINER, AND MEANS FOR ROCKING SAID TABLE ABOUT SAID PIVOT AXIS, WHEREBY SAID CONTAINER IS ROCKED IN A VERTICAL PLANE TO EFFECT BLENDING OF SAID FLUID WHILE SAID CONTAINER REMAINS PARALLEL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID ROLLERS. 